Profile / United States
Heather Parenti, LCSW
Connecticut
LCSW - Anxiety and relationship support
See online therapy options- CBT informed methods
- Mindfulness and DBT skills
- Practical behavior work
About Heather
Heather Parenti is an LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 27 years of experience. She practices in Connecticut and helps people cope with stress, anxiety, relationship problems, eating concerns, depression, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting strain, sleeping troubles, self-esteem issues, and life transitions.
She sees individuals who feel 'not enough' and who want practical ways to feel more steady. Sessions focus on noticing unhelpful thoughts and habits, trying different responses, and building small routines that make daily life easier. Heather draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside mindfulness and skills-based strategies.
Heather’s background includes work in private practice since 2004, the medical and mental health community, schools, and athletic coaching. She earned her degree from California State University, Long Beach and held licensure in California before establishing practice in Connecticut in 2017.
Outside clinical work she continues competitive athletic training, practices yoga and meditation, and uses writing and visual art as personal tools for change. These interests inform a straightforward, activity-focused approach rather than a purely talk-based style.
In sessions she mixes thought-focused work with concrete behavior experiments and mindfulness skills. The goal is to create manageable changes you can try between meetings and then review what helped. Heather asks specific questions, suggests small practice tasks, and tracks progress over time.
How Heather uses CBT, attachment work, and DBT skills online
Heather uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and to test new ways of responding. CBT breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so clients can try brief experiments and see what changes. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in close relationships and helps people notice how past bonds shape current reactions. This can help with intimacy, abandonment concerns, and communication problems. Dialectical Behavior Therapy contributes concrete skills for managing strong emotions - for example distress tolerance and emotion regulation techniques useful in times of crisis or overwhelm.Deciding which approach to use is collaborative. Heather will review your goals, ask about which strategies have helped before, and recommend starting steps. She adjusts the mix of CBT exercises, attachment-focused reflection, and DBT skills based on how you respond and what you want to achieve.
Confirm the session formats available before booking since the biography does not list specific formats. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule - shorter check-ins, fewer travel steps, and more flexibility around work or caregiving hours. It also allows practicing mindfulness or behavioral experiments in everyday settings and then reviewing what happened the next session. When you schedule, discuss which format fits your needs and the kinds of exercises you prefer to use between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
27+ years
Listed in
California, Connecticut
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address most often?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship and intimacy issues, eating concerns, depression, addictions, grief, trauma-related difficulties, sleep problems, parenting strain, and life transitions.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is practical and structured. Sessions emphasize noticing thoughts and habits, trying small behavior experiments, and using mindfulness and coping skills.
How long has she practiced clinically?
She has 27 years of clinical experience, including private practice work since 2004 and roles in medical, mental health, and educational settings.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker, licensed in California and Connecticut, and practices out of Connecticut.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
International clients are accepted; confirm any location-specific considerations during intake.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What is the first step to begin?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.